Owners of Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE now have more US carrier choices

People who own or plan to buy an LTE-equipped Apple Watch Series 3 now have the option of two of the bigger regional U.S. carriers, and aren't just stuck with the so-called big four anymore.

C-Spire announced sales of the LTE Series 3 on Tuesday. The device is available not just online and at the carrier's retail stores, but even via phone orders. New customers can get three months of Watch data free, after which the cost becomes $10 per month.

For a short time, the carrier is also selling the Series 3 for half off in conjunction with the purchase of an iPhone.

U.S. Cellular has been quietly added to Apple's official roster of Watch carriers. To date the carrier has been selling GPS-only Series 3 models, and the company still doesn't list any LTE models on its website.

C-Spire is based in Mississippi, and operates there as well as Memphis, parts of Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle. U.S. Cellular is headquartered in Chicago but has a presence in 23 states, with about 5.1 million customers.

Apple just recently previewed watchOS 5, and is expected to ship a "Series 4" this fall. The wearable could switch to solid-state buttons, and even support EKG monitoring. Evolutionary improvements may include a slightly larger display and better battery life.

Yes, more options from carriers would be nice, might come with market maturation. Right now I use the cellular Watch, but have no extra plan for it. In US at least, you don't need a plan for emergency calls. So if I ever have an accident alone when bicycling or surfing etc. and not near my phone, hopefully my Watch will come through.

This doesn't benefit me. But hopefully it will prompt other carriers (specifically Consumer Cellular) to add the Apple Watch w/ LTE....

Currently, it would simply cost me too much: Simply switching to one of the "Big 4" would cost me around $30 a month -- plus the $10 for the watch! While I would love to have one, that just makes no sense to me.

Yes, more options from carriers would be nice, might come with market maturation. Right now I use the cellular Watch, but have no extra plan for it. In US at least, you don't need a plan for emergency calls. So if I ever have an accident alone when bicycling or surfing etc. and not near my phone, hopefully my Watch will come through.

Thanks! I didn't know that about the ability to make emergency calls without a cell plan...

That is actually the biggest reason for me to get one: emergency calls!

I'm one of those old farts who live alone and often run or cycle out in the woods by myself. If/when that "I've fallen and can't get up" moment comes, I want to be able to call for help. For people like me its a practical replacement/improvement over the old, clunky, overly expensive LifeLine devices...